A few weeks ago, New York Knicks franchise star Carmelo Anthony was trailing the Detroit Pistons' Andre Drummond in the All-Star voting, now he is set to start for the Eastern Conference All-Stars.
After the voting period, Anthony surpassed the Chicago Bulls' Pau Gasol by just 360 votes to earn the starting nod.
Now, Anthony, along with the Indiana Pacers' Paul George, Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James, Toronto Raptors' Kyle Lowry, and the Miami Heat's Dwyane Wade, will start for the East in the All-Star Game to be held in Toronto next month.
The selection to the much anticipated exhibition game is the ninth in Anthony's 13-year career in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Anthony's teammates for the game have yet to be determined, since the starters are the only ones voted by the people.
Coaches in the league will have the task of completing the rosters for both the Eastern and Western Conference All-Stars.
Before getting selected, the 31-year-old basketball star performed well for New York in its past two games, both of which are wins versus the Philadelphia 76ers and the Utah Jazz.
Against the 76ers, the Knicks needed two extra periods to win, with Anthony tallying 19 points in 49 minutes played.
Facing Utah, Anthony scored 30 points in 42 minutes to help the Knicks win in overtime.
Before both games, in which he logged more than 90 playing minutes combined, Anthony missed two games because of an ankle injury he suffered after accidentally stepping on a referee's foot.
This season, Anthony is averaging 21.7 points, 7.6 rebounds, and four assists in 34.9 minutes of action per outing.
The former member of the Syracuse Orange is currently the leading scorer and passer of the Knicks.
New York has outdone its performance last season, but is currently only ninth in the Eastern Conference standings with a 22–22 record.
